Chandler Moore Claims in a Lawsuit That Millions Were Stolen From Him — Here's What We Know

In a September 2020 interview with Relevant Magazine, Maverick City Music member Chandler Moore recalled being confused by the fact that Billboard wanted to categorize the group as gospel. Moore said he thought they were being filed under gospel music because he is Black. "It’s not even anywhere along gospel lines," he told the outlet.

Moore explained that it's impossible to put Maverick City Music into a box. His bandmate, Namoi Raine, agreed. "What we do is so different," she said. "It seems like it can’t go together but we say: yes, it can." The group was formed back in 2018 by Tony Brown and Jonathan Jay, who wanted to give voices to marginalized people. There is a steady rotation of members, though Moore and Raine have since departed. Moore is now suing Maverick City Music. Here's why.

According to Billboard, Moore is suing Maverick City Music, its CEO Norman Gyamfi, and the group's record label TRIBL Records. The primary target is Gyamfi, who started out as Moore's manager before buying an ownership stake in Maverick City Music. That move paved the way for Gyamfi to become CEO.

In the lawsuit, Moore alleges Gyamfi sold Maverick City Music's Masters to a Sony distribution company in 2021, then pocketed the commission without telling him. The following year, Moore claims Gyamfi instructed Essential Music Publishing, Sony’s Christian music publishing division, to pay Moore's songwriting royalties to Maverick City Music, then forged Moore's name on a "co-publishing agreement that assigned half of all his composition rights to the group," per Billboard.

The last contract Moore signed with Maverick City Music was from 2024. After fulfilling all of his songwriting and touring duties, Moore alleged that Gyamfi and his associates withheld more than $800,000. Moore claims in the lawsuit that millions were stolen from him over the course of several years. He is represented by Sam Lipshie, of the law firm Bradley Arant, who told Billboard he is "fully committed to helping Chandler recover what is rightfully his."

Jonathan Jay, co-founder, owner, and CEO of Maverick City Music, responded to Moore's allegations in an Instagram post dated Oct. 8, 2025. Jay wrote that he's tried to stay silent on things that don't serve the group's mission, but in light of what Moore said, he felt he had to speak out. "I've spent my life building this," said Jay, "and I won't let a series of lies go unchecked."

Jay begins by stating the claims against him, his companies, and Gyamfi are false. These are not misunderstandings, but rather "calculated attempts to strong-arm a way out of agreements Chandler made freely, and later breached." Jay goes on to say they acted in good faith, gave more than what was required, and consistently extended grace. Any allegations are false and furthermore, Jay welcomes a full examination because "the truth will speak for itself."

Jay concludes by saying he is saddened by the fact that Moore is publicly alleging something so untrue. "There's a pattern of avoided accountability, unresolved conflicts passed off to others, and a history of others being forced to carry the weight of consequences never owned." The comments for this post were turned off.